A Walt Disney Company insider tells The Hollywood Reporter that unlike his predecessor, Bob Iger, Chapek doesn’t wish for Disney to wade into political discussions.
Last week, former CEO Bob Iger weighed in on a political debate in Florida regarding the “Don’t Say Gay” bill in a tweet.
Twitter users pressured Iger to push this issue with Chapek, whose silence on the matter has been brought up by LGBTQ Disney fans and employees, calling Disney’s donations to the bill’s supporters into question.
The Florida bill is expected to pass the state senate and become law. It prohibits discussing sexuality and gender in classrooms and allows parents to sue individual teachers if they believe a teacher has violated the law.
Chapek keeps his politics more private than Iger, the democrat-turned-independent that preceded him as CEO.
According to Latondra Newton (pictured above), Disney’s Chief Diversity Officer, Chapek will participate in a March 22 conversation with LGBTQ leaders at the Walt Disney Company. The meeting is entitled “Reimagine Tomorrow.”
A global summit of the same name will follow on April 13 and is “the first gathering of our employees worldwide to discuss our progress on and plans for improving diversity, equity, and inclusion at Disney.”
Chief Corporate Affairs Officer Geoff Morrell stated, “Whatever Bob’s personal politics are, he’s not an activist and does not bring any partisan agenda to work. He sees himself first and foremost as the custodian of a unifying brand that for nearly a century has been bringing people together, and he is determined that Disney remain a place where everyone is treated with dignity and respect.”
Some believe that refusing to say anything about a bill impacting many Florida-based employees could also be taken as a political statement — and the company’s subsequent efforts to bolster inclusion may seem hollow.
However, Morrell reports that Chapek rejects taking political stances because he “is determined that Disney remains a place where everyone is treated with dignity and respect.”
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